Nicole P.'s Profile

Extended review w/pix available at http://www.baconandbak......

The menu at Pizzeria Bianco is extremely limited, with two "Small Plates," two salads (three, if there's a seasonal salad available), and six pizzas. There are ten toppings you can add to jazz up your pizza.

Bianco's small plates are an antipasto selection and spiedini, which consists of "Italian Fontina wrapped in Prosciutto di Parma, served warm." Salads are the house salad w/mixed greens going for $6 and the caprese carrying a hefty $9 price tag.

The dining room at Bianco is about 1/65,245 the size of a dining room at the Cheesecake Factory, making it a far more intimate space. With hall ceilings and brick walls, Pizzeria Bianco feels as rustic as it looks. Although the dining room is small, your waiter has a lot of other customers to take care of, so don't expect star treatment.

Containing the three colors in the Italian flag, the caprese is a plate of thick, watery slices of house-made mozzarella, large slices of ruby-red tomatoes, and bright leaves of basil. Olive oil and vinegar are perched in the middle of the table, so patrons can garnish their salad as they see fit. Although caprese is a summery dish, it was equally enjoyable in November.

My favorite pre-pizza dish was the spiedini. Atop mixed greens (not mentioned on the menu! yay for unexpected salad!) sit two skewers. Each skewer is poked through a chunk of fontina cheese, all of which is then wrapped up like a birthday present in prosciutto. Inside the slightly caramelized prosciutto hides softly melted cheese which oozes out upon being cut. The contrasts of temperature, texture, and flavor dance inside your mouth.

No matter which pie you order, the standout of the pizza will be the crust. Fired in a wood oven, every pizza is prepared individually by owner/chef Chris Bianco. Like the bread served at the beginning of the meal, the pizza crust is incredibly delicious. A slight crunch on the crust gives way to a chewy center. Char marks freckle the ring of crust at the circumference as well as the bottom of the pizza.

The marinara, is the plainest pizza on the menu. The sauce overpowered the crust both in flavor and in texture, making an otherwise glorious crust into something floppy and flaccid. The addition of cheese and basil, as found on the margherita, makes a world of difference. Less sauce is used on this pizza, meaning the crust stays crisp and the flavors are allowed to complement each other in better proportions.

Gutsier choices on the menu include the Rosa and the Wiseguy. The Rosa, sans tomato sauce, is topped w/red onion, parmigiano reggiano, rosemary, and Arizona pistachios. Although I've put walnuts on a pizza before (curry sauce + walnuts = whoa), I'd never thought to crumble up pistachios to use as a topping. The crushed nuts provide an earthy flavor as well as a fantastic contrast in texture. The combination of toppings makes for a light yet satisfying pie.

The Wiseguy, also without red sauce, comes topped w/thick, wood-roasted rings of onion, house-smoked mozzarella, and fennel sausage. A hearty pie, the Wiseguy tastes mostly of the fennel-spiked sausage. It's easy to lose the smoky flavor of the cheese and the roasty flavor of the onion beneath the overpowering punch of fennel. Regardless, that sausage is really, really tasty.

During one visit, I combined the Rosa and the Wiseguy by ordering a Rosa topped w/some of the fennel sausage ($3 extra as a topping). The sausage had the same effect on the Rosa as it had on the Wiseguy, basically wiping out any other flavors I would've tasted otherwise. So, while the fennel tasted good, it was impossible to distinguish the rosemary, cheese, or pistachio. Unless you can taste beyond the sausage, you'd be wise to leave it off your pizza.

These are no desserts at Pizzeria Bianco--unless you consider pizza a dessert, which I certainly do. There is a list of a couple dozen whites and reds, though, so oenophiles will be able to enjoy their pizza w/a glass or a bottle of the good stuff.

But don't feel obligated to order a drink. Unlike those chain pizza restaurants, you don't have to get drunk first in order to enjoy the pizza.

Extended review w/pix available at http://www.baconandbak....

Extended review w/pix available at http://www.baconandbak....

Behind an oversized door lies a dining room w/a long bar, as well as an outdoor eating area where burger buffs can enjoy both their food and the weather. Both the indoor and outside areas are adorned with retro-chic furniture, cozy enough to support your back, but not cozy enough to keep you comfortable during a long stretch of burger-eating and martini-drinking. Based on the tables and chairs, I fulled expected to see shag carpet make a cameo, but, alas, it was nowhere in sight.

While the decor at Stax is straight out of the late '60s, the menu is anything but. Yet somehow the retro feel is very appropriate for the menu, which takes classic comfort foods--like burgers and mac and cheese--and brings them into the 21st century.

The muse of the double-sided menu at Stax is the burger. Poor decision-makers may find a meal at Stax overwhelming, as building your burger can be a multi-step process.

No matter what you order, you won't walk away w/empty pockets. Stax-style burgers are $4-5 apiece, while plain meat on a but costs $3-4. All of the toppings--bacon, cheese, salsas, aiolis--cost $.25 per burger, meaning you can throw on a good number of topping and still keep your slider under $5. That is, unless you splurge on a slice of foie gras, which will double the price of your custom creation.

Burgers of this caliber deserve classy-yet-comforting side dishes. Stax hits the mark by serving up crispy, golden tater tots in a mini frying basket. The tots, about $5, feed 2-3 people. Other side dishes include sweet potato fries, onion rings and macaroni and cheese.

During my visit, the order of tater tots were treated as an appetizer, brought out a good 10-15 minutes before the sliders arrived. I figured the burgers would be out soon, so I began dipping the tots into mayo and ketchup (standard sauces w/an order of tots) and two aiolis, one a basil-flecked pesto and the other a spicy pink sauce which turned out to be the standout of the bunch.

Presentation is just one of many criteria that contributes to the enjoyment of a meal. More important, though, is flavor. The salsa atop a lamb slider was delicious, and the melted cheese (feta?) provided the right amount of saltiness to complement the lamb. The meat, unfortunately, tasted gamy, which I tend not to appreciate in lamb. While lamb can dry out easily, this little patty of meat was juicy and flavorful.

Having sampled elk within the past couple of months, I was feeling adventurous. Thus, I ordered the Stax-style ostrich burger, topped with hand-pulled mozzarella, bruschetta tomatoes, and leaves of fresh basil. The ostrich was juicy and flavorful, tasting less like chicken and more like beef. The burger's toppings were surprisingly complementary, as I would have thought those toppings would have been better-suited for chicken or beef. The final verdict on ostrich is YUM...

Extended review w/pix available at http://www.baconandbak....

My parents went to this place shortly after it opened. During their meal, their waitress went into the back, grabbed her coat, and walked out the front door. So, yes, their waitress quit during her shift. (Makes you wonder what my parents are like, eh? Hehe.)

My parents enjoyed the food, though, so they decided to take me and my brother there to give the place another chance. We started w/the appetizer platter, which had dolmades (grape leaves), baba ghannoush (eggplant dip), hummus, tzatziki (yogurt dip), spanikopita (spinach and feta pie), meatballs, and maybe another thing or two I don't remember. It was all served w/pita. The huuuuge platter was more than enough as an appetizer for the four of us (although my dad didn't eat too much). Dill is a prominent player on the platter, spiking the tzatziki and even the hummus (a nice tough, as garlic is usually the overwhelming flavor). I don't typically like spanikopita, as I find feta too salty, but the spanikopita at Dino's wasn't heavy on the feta, leaving the pouch of pastry flaky and delicious instead of salty and inedible. Looooved the spanikopita enough that I'm still thinking about it, a week later... The pita was served in small wedges, and it seemed pretty bottomless based on the fact that our waitress kept bring out more for us. It didn't taste like authentic pita bread that they actually baked in the back. It wasn't actually pocket bread, but was rather thick and kind of spongy. But hey, this is Phoenix. Can you find *real* pita out here, anyway?

My mom and I split the lamb souvlaki, which was two skewers of lamb chunks served w/rice, potatoes, and vegetables. The dish was just right for the two of us, and we even had a bit left over. The lamb was not gamy in the least, and the charred outside went perfectly well with the pink inside. This lamb was treated right. The sides are nothing special, but the roasted potatoes are prepared well and are flavorful.

My brother had some sort of roasted lamb, which was also prepared just right. It too lacked the gaminess lamb can sometimes have. His lamb was tender w/a consistency almost like brisket. It was served w/the same sides as the souvlaki.

My dad, unadventurous eater that he is, opted for the Veal marsala. He said the mushrooms were "cut just right" (that is, sliced fairly thinly--he hates when button mushrooms are simply plopped in). The spaghetti on the side comes w/meat sauce, but my dad opted for the marinara instead. The man had nothing left on his plate, so I take it he enjoyed his food!

Our waitress was great. She joked around w/us and had a fun sense of humor. She answered our questions and was sure to keep our water glasses filled.

Prices are very reasonable. I think the souvlaki was somewhere around $10, while the appetizer platter was maybe $12-15. The four of us ate for $80, which included a very generous tip. Plus, we had leftovers of the appetizer platter, the souvlaki, and the roasted lamb.

The fact that my parents live on the boring side of the Valley kinda sucks, but I'm thankful that Dino's is just a five-minute ride from their house, as good Greek food is hard to come by.

Better than the library.

For a fraction of the cover price, you can get all manner and variety of books, ranging from novels to children's books to cookbooks.

I bought five books--all nonfiction, all food-related (for example, three of the four memoirs by Ruth Reichl) for $14. Bargain? I think so.

Extended review w/pix available at http://www.baconandbak....

Because I like trying new things, I decided to order the elk tostada, served w/white bean "hummus" and roasted corn salsa. And because I ordered this, my mom went w/the curry pork quesadilla. My dad was able to find one thing on the menu that wasn't completely gross, in his taste: the Berkshire ham sandwich.

Fifteen minutes later, the Stetson arrived. I'd heard so much about this salad and had even gone to Cowboy Ciao's website to see what all the fanfare was about. Well, as beautiful as the salad looked online, it looked even more so in person. Delivered to the table, the salad is separated in six clean sections, each vibrantly colored and chopped into teeny, tiny pieces. All the flavors are complementary to one another. Topping the salad is a light, tangy, just-acidic-enough dressing that pulls all the pieces together, resulting in a well-composed salad that works perfectly as an appetizer for two.

About 15-20 minutes later, our entrees arrived at the table. My dad's ham sandwich, topped w/caramelized onions and bourbon mustard, and served on grilled brioche, was a tall sandwich w/thick slices of tender ham. The meat isn't your typical Hormel variety of deli meat; it was obvious that this came from a real piece of pork, not from a vacuum-sealed pack from the grocery store. Alongside the sandwich were thick, homemade potato chips. My dad dug in immediately, enjoying the sweet onions a lot. Although this sandwich is pretty gourmet, it was simple enough to please even my father's simple palate.

The presentation of the elk tostada was beautiful. The base of the tostada was a blue corn tortilla topped w/the white bean "hummus" and some melted cheddar cheese. Atop that were four or five large pieces of cornmeal-dredged elk. The consistency is similar to beef, but with a gamier taste. I would have expected it to be prepared medium-rare, but the elk seemed to be well-done, making it just a bit moister than a Phoenix summer. The creamy "hummus" and mild salsa helped lubricate the elk, though, so it wasn't a total bust. The entire dish could have also used some salt and pepper.

The standout meal on the table was my mom's quesadilla of the day. A large flour tortilla was stuffed w/pulled curry pork, caramelized onions, and cheese, and was topped w/a dollop of dollop of chipotle sour cream. The pork was tender, while the curry provided an unexpected but very welcome contrast in flavor. I'd never had pork w/curry, but I'd certainly give it another go because of the success of this dish. The quesadilla was a tad floppy due to it not being toasted/grilled/broiled quite long enough. I come from a family that appreciates crispness (it's a good thing my dad likes things burned, 'cause my mom tends to burn things), so I would have preferred more color and crunch in the tortilla.

Throughout the afternoon, the service continued to be attentive and friendly. We were brought our check not too long after the table was cleared, and we slipped the gift certificate into the folder-thingy to pay for our lunch. Our waiter wasn't quite sure what to do w/the certificate, but w/the help of the older gentleman who greeted and seated us, there were no problems. $50 later (not including tip), my parents and I were well-fed and content w/our lunches.

I'd like to go back to Cowboy Ciao for dinner, as my lunchtime experience there was so positive. The creative dishes on the menu make Cowboy Ciao a staple on my brother's culinary roster when he's in Phoenix, and I look forward to seeing how the restaurant's menu evolves as trends in the restaurant world change.

Extended review w/pix available at http://www.baconandbak....

My friend David and I arrived at Oregano's around noon on a weekday. I was hoping there would be outdoor seating, as natural light is so much better than fluorescent lights for food photography! Luckily, there were open tables on the back patio, so we were showed immediately to a table protected from the sun by an umbrella. David was quite surprised by the fact that we didn't have to wait. In the past, he'd waited for anywhere from 45 minutes to over an hour to get a table. Oregano's is notoriously busy--and w/notoriously slow service.

Aside from being HUGE, the menu is packed full of dishes. Surprisingly, there are no mozzarella sticks listed under the appetizers. Instead, pick from items like stuffed mushrooms and Italian guacamole, each averaging around $5-6. We passed on the appetizers, going right for the heartier stuff.

David suggested we have pizza, as he'd had it in the past and really enjoyed it. We considered getting a whole pie, which is available in thin, pan, or deep-dish crusts. Specialty pizzas at Oregano's are particular inventive. Take the 'Frisco, for example ("A tomato cream sauce covers this baby, topped with spiced feta cheese, bacon, diced roma tomatoes and cheddar cheese"), or Grandma G's Rosemary Chicken Potato ("This family favorite is made with our red pepper pesto, Grandma's special roasted garlic chicken, diced roma tomatoes, gorgonzola, sliced potatoes, havarti, our four cheese blend, caramelized onions and fresh rosemary").

David also ordered a small dinner salad ($2.99) for us to share. Our waiter explained that the salad would take longer than the pizza (huh?), so he said he'd have things timed so that the salad and the pizza would arrive at the same time.

After we put in our orders, I watched as other tables were served their food. A number of other diners ordered salads, each of which appeared to contain a serving of greens more suited for a giraffe.

Fewer tables ordered pastas, but a couple options there looked pretty good. I'm not such a ricotta fan, but if I were, I'd be ordering the Big 'Ol Ravioli for $9.29: "A large 6" ravioli (1/4 lb) stuffed with ricotta and other Italian cheeses, slathered with our meat sauce, then baked with cheese on top." Just thinking about it makes me want to play Frisbee...

If you're not hungry enough for a flying disk of stuffed pasta, go for some layers instead. Four different lasagnas, all priced at $9.29, seem like a good options for those who are willing to wait 30-45 minutes for a special dish. The chicken lasagna piques my interest, while the artichoke version combines an unusual ingredient in a very traditional dish. I wouldn't expect that sort of risk at a chain restaurant in Phoenix, of all places, but it's good to know that such options are available.

In addition to the pizzas and pastas, Oregano's covers another base w/sandwiches. The sandwiches seem pretty typical of what you'd find at your local college pizzeria: meatball and Italian subs. In terms of quality, though, these sandwiches appear to be a step or two above University Pizza and Wings, the likes of which deliver to drunk coeds until 3 a.m. Oregano's subs are served on 10" rolls or focaccia.

By the time I'd finished daydreaming and people watching--half an hour later--our food had arrived. The small salad was really anything but. The two of us still had leftovers, so the small salad would probably be a good side for three or so people. The fresh mixed greens contained nary a brown leaf. Topped w/tomatoes, red onion rings, and a surprisingly large portion of crumbled gorgonzola, the salad is a different take on the ho-hum house salad.

I didn't fill up too much on salad, as I had pizza sitting in front of me. Each pizza turned out to be a quarter of a full pie, and each massive slice was served on a large, circular pizza tray. No matter how you eat the pizza, it's pretty darn good: the crust is very thin, but it's not crackery, and the bottom has a tad less char than I prefer; the cheese is mild, chewy, and a tad stringy; the toppings are fresh and plentiful. The amount of sauce may have been a tad much, and I also found it too sweet.

If the marinara sauce doesn't satisfy your sweet tooth, the one dessert at Oregano's will. The pizza cookie is a half-pound cookie topped with three scoops of vanilla ice cream. For $4.99, this dessert is easily enough for four people.

While Oregano's food is above average, the food is not worth the epic waits so common for a table at the restaurant. In a rush, Oregano's is the last place I'd want to eat. But on a leisurely night, when I don't mind waiting too long for a table or for my meal, I'll head back to Oregano's for its friendly service, reasonable prices, and above-average food.

Extended review w/pix available at: http://baconandbakin.b....

3 for food, 5 for entertainment!

Have you ever watched your cousin feel up a 6'3" drag queen? I did.

Perry's drag brunch is a Sunday-only event, and apparently it's a popular one. My cousin's g/f and one of her friends arrived at the restaurant about 45 minutes before the rest of us got there. Luckily that meant I didn't have to wait (haha!), as the two girls did the hard part for us.

The hostess took our party of five to the worst table in the place. The table was shoved into the far back corner under a large speaker, which, from the time we arrived, blared tranny-liciouis standards like Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie" and Aretha Franklin's "Respect." In addition to instant deafness, there was also instant blindness--and not because of spotlights hitting sequins. Instead, a wall in the restaurant all but blocked our view of the majority of the restaurant. Not until a performer was five feet away from us could we actually see any of the fantastic dancing.

Once we were seated, my four companions ordered a pitcher of Bloody Mary. We were a little confused about whether or not we could go right up to the buffet ($24.95, I believe), so we took a random waitress aside and asked. She told us to go right ahead.

At that particular moment, the line at the buffet was rather short. Score! It was probably short because a good number of the dishes needed to be replaced: some of the bread baskets contained only crumbs, for example. The selection in front of me was not lacking, although there was no sense of cohesiveness or theme to the buffet: breads (scones, muffins, pastry, waffles, etc.), cold dishes (pasta salad, bowtie salad, caprese, cold carved meats, the aforementioned sushi, fresh fruit, etc.), and hot dishes (bacon and sausage, soup, eggs, potstickers, appetizery things, etc.). I loaded up a plate w/some random stuff and took it back to the table.

I had snagged the last scone of a particular flavor from a basket. From what I could tell, it was cheddar and bacon. From what I could taste, it was nice. I would have preferred for it to be a tad moister, but I think scones are, by definition, supposed to be dry and crumbly and sandy. The bacon itself, though, was great. It was not: limp, soggy, floppy, oily, chewy, undercooked, overcooked. It was: crisp, salty, porky, yummy.

I didn't try the sushi, but I grabbed some of the other little Asian appetizers. Honestly, I don't even remember what I ate--that is how memorable that stuff was. I think I had a potsticker and maybe something resembling crab Rangoon.

Well, I'm now realizing, three weeks later, that I don't remember anything else I ate. I have a few theories as to why this may be the case: 1) it was three weeks ago, after all; 2) the food just wasn't that good; 3) distraction by drag queens.

The performers faked singing, danced all over, looked beautiful, and posed for pictures. People generally tipped the girls when they posed for photos. I was so glad I had about $5 in singles, as I was able to pay many a dancer to pose w/my cousin. After one performer's song ended, she walked out of the room, and for the next few minutes, I waited impatiently to see who would come out next. That anticipation was fantastic. Around 1 or so, there was a 45-minute long break, which gave the performers enough time to change outfits and prep for the second act. They were just as flamboyant and fun as they were during the first act.

I think most of the people in my group were satisfied, although there was one damper on the afternoon: the pitcher of Bloody Mary. I'm really not a drinker, so I'd never even tasted a Bloody Mary. Everyone said the drink was gross, though, so I tasted it. Sure enough, it was really strong. And it tasted like tomato-based rectum. They thought maybe it needed some more tomato juice, so my cousin had the waitress bring over a glass. Unfortunately, the tomato juice did nothing to fix the drink that tasted like the inside of one's lower gastrointestinal track. My cousin's g/f told the waitress that the drink tasted like cocktail sauce, and everyone explained that it was pretty much undrinkable. The waitress said she'd have the manager come over (which we hadn't even requested!), but as it turned out, the waitress just removed the pitcher of vileness from the tab.

We were a table of five, but when our bill arrived, we noticed that gratuity had been tacked on already. Hmmm... I didn't recall seeing anything about that on the menu. Regardless, we paid our bill and went on our way.

Had I know about the drag brunch any earlier during my time in DC, I would have taken all of my out-of-town visitors there. The food wasn't memorable, nor was the service very serviceable, but the entertainment alone is worth the price of admission.

Extended review w/pix available at: http://baconandbakin.b...

For months, my coworker Evan had been talking about what is probably the best menu item ever: Bottomless Bacon at Wonderland Ballroom.

On my last Saturday in Washington, Evan and I went to Wonderland Ballroom to gorge ourselves silly w/bacon. I met Evan at the Columbia Hts. Metro stop, which is a 6-8 min. walk to the restaurant. It was the first day of September, and not at all sticky and gross outside.

From the outside, Wonderland Ballroom is completely nondescript. You actually have to look rather hard to find the sign. Inside, the place is a complete dive. A fairly long bar lines one side of the place, while some tables and booths fill out the rest of the small space. When we walked in, we said to the guy behind the bar that we were there for brunch, then asked him if we could sit outside. He explained that we couldn't have drinks outside. And by drinks, he meant anything that wasn't a solid or a gas. Apparently they got in trouble for having patrons outside--obviously drinking liquor, not orange juice or milk--making too much noise. So, instead of enjoying the first day of September outside, Evan and I sat at a two-top inside the small, dark restaurant. Atop each table was a vase filled w/fake flowers. The corner booth actually had the removable seats from vans used as the bench seats. It looked comfy!

After a few minutes of perusing the sadly sparse menu, Evan and I were ready to order. Our options were quite limited to a few breakfast items and a few more lunch items: eggs, breakfast meats on the side, toast, sandwiches... Yeah, that was about it. Evan ordered an egg and cheese sandwich on toast, while I went w/a grilled cheese sandwich. Evan asked the waitress if we could split the Bottomless Bacon ($6) and, much to my surprise, she said yes! We tacked on an order of bacon, too, w/which I fully intended on loading up my sandwich.

Good thing Evan's a good conversationalist, 'cause we waited about half an hour for our food to arrive. Only one or two other tables were taken, so it's not like there was a huge brunch rush. Anyway, everything but the bacon came out first. Both our plates had fries on them, too. I think fries are fine w/a lunch sandwich, but I would have preferred something more breakfasty w/my sandwich had I been Evan. After another five minutes or so, our first basket of six strips of bacon arrived. Pork, glorious pork, how I love thee! (Note the irony: today is Yom Kippur.)

Both sandwiches were served on white toast. While Evan scarfed down his breakfast, I opened up my sandwich, grabbed a few slices of bacon from the basket, and inserted them into the warm cheesy center. The bacon was crisp, adding a great crunch to an otherwise blah sandwich; I am not a fan of limp, soggy, floppy bacon, so this was a plus. Only a matter of minutes after basket #1 arrived, it was empty. We pushed it to the side of the table in an attempt to make it obvious we wanted more strips of cured pig. We eventually got our waitress's attention, and not too long after that we got another basket of bacon.

Evan said he could go for more bacon, too, so we let our waitress know. About 10 minutes later, she reappeared w/two baskets of bacon--apparently the kitchen made an oops. Gluttonous porcophiles we are, we took both baskets.

By the time we were done, Evan and I had eaten more bacon than any cardiologist would recommend, but because we're young and stupid, so we'll clog our arteries while they're still fairly clean. Brunch for two, including a tip, was under $20. The food was nothing special, aside from the perfectly prepared bacon, whose bottomless status made it all the more spectacular.

I know lots of people love Wonderland Ballroom for the atmosphere and drinks and juke, but I think the food still leaves much to be desired.

Extended review w/pix available at: http://baconandbakin.b...

Orange's decor is certainly funky. The atmosphere is very warehouse-y, which is pretty appropriate for that part of town. The ceilings are very high, giving the restaurant an industrial feel. Adorning the walls are all sorts of art for sale, most of them paintings in extremely vibrant colors.

Glasses of water have a cucumber slice floating on top (you'd think they'd use orange, but no! The water has a hint of cucumber flavor, which is really quite refreshing).

Orange's menu is ridiculously creative but a tad limited. For example, they offer five types of omelets, and five types only ($7.95-8.95); custom orders can take a hike. In addition to your traditional Eggs Benedict, you can get Caprese Benedict and Steak and Eggs Benedict. Pancakes are available in a number of versions ($6.95-8.95), including cinnamon roll and jelly donut, and a particularly interesting take on French toast involves skewers, coconut, and fresh fruit ($8.95).

In addition to breakfast standards like eggs and oatmeal, Orange also serves some lunch items. For under $10, you can have your choice of soups, salad, and sandwiches, all served in hefty portions.

The pancake flights are absolutely gorgeous. A square plate segmented into quadrants holds each variety of pancake. The pancakes themselves are stacks of kiddie-sized cakes, which makes perfect sense considering how many pancakes come in the flight (four or five per stack I think). The pancake flight sets you back $10.95, but it was soooo worth it. Plus, it fed two of us handily, so it was a rather good bargain.

Orange has an orange-squeezing machine behind the bar which is in constant production. In addition to orange juice, the restaurant has a make-your-own-fresh-juice menu. Check off your main juice (orange, apple, etc.), add a second flavor (watermelon, mango, carrot, etc.), and throw something else in there (ginger, etc.) for a bit more panache if you're feeling sassy. For $3-4, you can have a custom-squeezed juice to enjoy w/your brunch.

The Fruity Pebble pancakes on the kids' menu are worth pretending you're a kid. They consist of about five Fruity-Pebbly cakes topped w/a blob of Fruity Pebble butter. Sprinkled on the plate like confetti is--you guessed it!--more of the colorful cereal. The original combination is so unique, so faux-fruity, and so truly tasty. Fantastic presentation aside, these cakes are winners, with just the right amount of fluff and just the right size pat of butter.

The grilled cheese consists of two thick slices of bread topped w/cheese, caramelized onions, and roasted tomato, all thrown under a broiler; thus, no butter, margarine, oil, or mayo had been used to lube up the bread. The heartiest grilled cheese I've eaten, I had to use a fork and a knife to tackle the monster. Served alongside the sandwich was Orange's potatoes, which seem to me like roughly mashed potatoes thrown briefly onto a griddle to crisp up the outside. I think this is a great concept, but I would have preferred fries w/this instead of undersalted breakfast spuds.

It's hard to find an original breakfast place that serves quality food at good prices. But with friendly, personal service, nice-sized portions, a completely bitchin' menu, and damn tasty food, I know Orange is a winner. Places like that make me sad that I don't have a reliable brunch place near me to fall back on.

Extended review w/pix available at: http://baconandbakin.b....

The first courses are mostly seafood, with options like lobster, scallops, tuna, and the like. One of the first courses was called "surf and turf," while another was called "new vichyssoise." I ordered the tomato tartare; The Boss ordered the tuna napoleon.

Main courses run the gamut from lamb to rockfish to salmon to beef to veal/sweetbreads to capon (I think it was capon, at least). Vegetarians can also order a four-veggie plate. I ended up ordering the chateaubriand, while The Boss opted for the salmon.

Shortly after we placed our orders, an amuse bouche arrived from the kitchen. The waiter explained the small bite we were about to savor. He described it as tuna sausage with blah-blah-blah-dee-blah (he noted every detail, which I obviously do not remember). I had told The Boss that I was going to eat the amuse bouche no matter what it was, so I was relieved to see that it was tuna and not, say, pat of hornswoggle. The tuna was cooked rather than raw or rare, which seems to be very uncommon in restaurants these days. The fish was flaked and formed into a short cylinder, which was then topped w/cucumber and some sprout-like things, as well as a couple of marble-sized quail eggs. The unfishy fish was rather tasty, and the fact that it was fully cooked didn't do anything to take away from its moisture.

The first courses arrived a short time later. The Boss's tuna napoleon was visually stunning. Towering plates are so cliche nowadays, but the height on the napoleon was just right: tall enough to catch your eye, but not so tall that it's unpractical and will make for clumsy eating.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect out of the tomato tartare. Frankly, I chose it because it was one of the few first courses that didn't contain ingredients that also starred in The Little Mermaid. What I got was a heaping circle of finely chopped tomatoes, paired w/other ingredients, that was almost like a creamy salsa. A really good creamy salsa.

About 30 min. after finishing our first courses, a flourish began in preparation for the arrival of our main courses. The silverware was changed out, the plates were shuffled, the bread plates were refreshed. Two waiters arrived at the table, each one carrying a main course. The Boss's salmon w/boudin blanc was presented first. The presentation was stunning. A filet of salmon sat diagonally in the middle of a square plate. Atop the salmon were five perfect circles of seared boudin blanc. A couple pieces of baby eggplant were on the plate, as was some sort of veggie medley. A nice bit of vibrant caviar decorated the veggies, brightening up the dish like confetti. The Boss commented on how incredible and perfectly cooked the salmon was, then proceeded to do everything but lick the plate clean.

The chauteaubriand had a crusty exterior speckled w/flecks of seasoning (like crushed peppercorn, I think). The meat was melt-in-your-mouth tender, and wouldn't have required more than a butter knife for slicing. The reduction (red wine? syrah? I don't remember) was smooth and syrupy, combining savory and sweet flavors.  It was my ideal sauce in every way, and I wish I could make such a fine accompaniment for meat.

Okay, out of room! :o) Read the rest of the review at http://www.baconandbak......